Amen so Deuteronomy chapter 6 getting right into it says there in verse 1 now
These are the commandments the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God
commanded to teach you
that you might do them in the land where you go to possess it that thou mightest fear the Lord thy God to keep all
His statutes and his commandments, which I command thee thou and thy son and thy son sons all days of thy life
So, you know this chapter really what it's dealing with is the next generation
I mean there he's bringing them into land, but we'll see here in the beginning in the end
You know God is really putting a lot of emphasis on this current generation
Teaching the next these important statutes these judgments that they would continue to do them and to keep them and which you know
The ones that he is commanding them now look there in verse 3
It says here therefore Israel and observe to do it that it may be well with thee
That you might increase mightily as Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee again, you know, just reminding us again, you know Deuteronomy
We're hearing the statutes and judgments do them obey the Lord your God hero Israel. It's coming up over and over again and
It's not because God is just trying to bind a heavy burden on people, you know
God doesn't just have a bunch of rules because he just wants to make life difficult or something and we'll talk a little bit here
At the end, but he's he's giving them these things
Why that it may be well with thee that ye may be increased mightily as the Lord God of thy father's have promised thee
You know God has our best interest in mind with all of these commandments
That's what he's trying to get across here for our own good
Now look there in verse 4, of course, that's a very famous verse where it says here Oh Israel the Lord
Our God is one Lord. Now. This is a verse that's often corrupted. It's a verse that you find often
Twisted into means to take to mean something else and a lot of false Bible versions
You know the Jews they they they teach false teaching about this and basically what they all do is they drop off the Lord at
The end there and so the verse in many these Bible versions reads hero Lord hero Israel the Lord our God is one and
if you pay attention that you can see how that completely changes the meaning by just dropping off the Lord at the end there and
You know, that's what a lot of these false Bible versions do and it changes major doctrine
That should be a lesson to us. You know, why are we King James only?
Because even something as simple as just dropping one word one name just changing one little thing can completely change the meaning of a verse
You know the NIV quotes it like this the Lord our God it the Lord is one
Okay, that sounds completely different than what the King James is trying to say here
And the new King James even hero Israel, right the new King James the one that that's approved right wrong the Lord our God
The Lord is one so that's that's a very different meaning than what the King James Bible has now
There are some translations they get the meaning of the verse right, but they're still you know
We could probably find multiple errors with them. The New Living Translation says listen Oh Israel
The Lord is our God the Lord alone now
They have at least got the meaning right, you know that that that's what the King James is trying to express here
The Lord our God is one Lord meaning there's no other God besides him
The ESV hero Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one
The the the HCS be I don't know what that is. Listen Israel
The Lord our God the Lord is one the New American Standard the NASB hero Israel the Lord our God
The Lord is one so this has been corrupted in a lot of them now the message which is probably one of the worst
Translations you could ever pick up actually has the meaning right it says attention Israel
God our God the God the one and only so they at least they got the meaning behind it when he's trying to say there's
Only one God, but when I was writing that I looked that up
I thought you know, it just shows you how stupid these versions are they read so terribly
I mean the message reads like this attention Israel. I mean, it sounds like it's like you hear that's like in a PA system in an
Airport, you know, you know like someone's trying to tell you your headlights on you know
Whoever has the license plate attention attention, you know, you've left your lights on and the and the white Corolla, you know
Whatever it's just it sounds bad and you know, it just goes to show you even if you get the meeting, right?
You know that they botched it everywhere else attention Israel, so
You know and then we could really go on and on about this
We'll touch on this here
This could be a whole sermon in and of itself like many other things that we preach out in these
Verse by verse what Thursday nights and there's been a lot of sermons about this, you know preaching against this oneness
heresy that's out there preaching, you know in defense of the Trinity, but
What this verse is saying here in verse 4 where it says hero Israel the Lord our God is one Lord is
What it's trying to get across is the sense that there is no other God
That there's no other God to turn to he is the one Lord
He's yet to remember the word God is just a name that everyone uses for God, you know
You know the Allah, you know, it just means God, you know, so God is you know, if you believe in God
God is just a name you're gonna use for God
But what he's saying here is the Lord our God is one Lord
There's only one Lord and that's what he's trying to get across you for recall
I'll quote for you from Deuteronomy 4 where we were for you a few weeks ago
It says know therefore this day and consider it thine heart that the Lord he is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath
There is none else. That's what's trying to be expressed here. Is that there is only one God not that God is just one person
But that's what these you know
These new translations would have you to think that there is only that God is one person
Now God is singular in the sense of being exclusive. Okay, that's what you could say that yeah
There's only God is one in the sense that there's only one God that would be correct
He said in Isaiah of chapter 42. I am the Lord that is my name and my glory
Will I not give to another neither my praise to graven images, you know, and it's kind of interesting
You know there in Isaiah and also here in Deuteronomy where he's just drilling
You know this this issue of idolatry and not making graven images, you know
He emphasizes the fact that he is the Lord he alone is God
You know both as Isaiah do it on me
They invoke, you know God's unshared claim as God in the context, you know as opposed to idolatry
So God is singular in terms of being exclusive. That's the singularity of God. He is the only Lord God
There is none else besides him
But God make no mistake about it is plural in his nature
Right. We all know Genesis. Let us make man in our image. Let us thank God in our image
That's speaking to the triune nature of God the plurality in God's a person, you know first John 5 7 4
There are three that bear record in heaven, you know, there are three in heaven
Okay, so and again we could go on and on about this and there's a lot more in this chapter
I'd like to talk about but you can't really read that verse without at least touching on it and
Pointing out the fact that there's a lot of false
Doctrine that's promoted
By people just taking one word out of that verse and leaving it off and it just changes everything
That that verse is supposed to mean, you know, but we'll move on here
In verse 5 it says and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and
with all thine might and
these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently under thy children and
They'll talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way when thou liest down
and when thou risest up and when thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand and they shall be as the frontlets between
thine eyes and thou shalt write them upon the post of the high house and on thy gate
So again, God, you know is already bringing up the next generation again
We already read where he's gonna command them thy son and thy son sons
And now he's saying you're gonna teach them diligently under thy children
So God is putting a lot of emphasis here on us instructing the next generation, you know
And that's something we cannot lose sight of, you know, we got a great thing going here at faithful word Baptist Church
We got a lot of you know, young younger people young families that are on our zealous. They're on fire for God
But you know that could all disappear in a generation that could all be gone in one generation
I mean, that's what happens very quickly. We see that over over again in the Bible, you know
Another generation that rises up that doesn't know the Lord and they go after ideology. They go into sin
They forget that the the God of the Bible, you know, if we're not careful
We don't put the emphasis where God does and God here. I mean make no mistake about it. It's plain as day
He puts emphasis on teaching the next generation the statutes and the commandments of the Bible, you know
That's why it's important to have all the the young people in the main service
You know where they can hear the preaching the Word of God where they can hear all the the doctrinal teaching and all the the do's
And don'ts that were gone instead of just you know, sticking them off and just telling them the same old
You know stories about you know, the animals getting on the ark those are great
Let's teach in that but let's teach in the whole counsel of the Word of God
Let's get everybody here and let's teach the next generation because that's where God puts the emphasis
So the importance of teaching the next generation of the thing of the things of God that's an important thing we need to do
So how are we gonna do that? How are we gonna teach the next generation? How are we gonna implore them to you know?
Take heed to these things. Well for it has to start with us
It has to start with the the the you know
The the generation that precedes them has to start with the moms and dads and it says there, you know
It really it begins in thine heart
He said in verse 5 and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart
You know if you want your kids to follow in your footsteps, you know, you're gonna be the one that has to love God
You know kids, you know
They they you're the old saying goes your talk talks or your walk talks louder than your talk talks
I mean we can say all the right things, but if we're not doing them, you know that that's gonna
That's not gonna guarantee that you're you know, you're you're the next generation
Is gonna follow in our footsteps they might say well, yeah, they said a lot of things
But they weren't sincere in what they were doing. And so it starts with us
It starts with thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul with all thy might
And these words which I command they shall be in thine heart
Right and thou shalt teach them diligently into thy children
So you want to know how to get your kids to follow the Lord and live for God?
Has to start with your own heart has to start within you
Has to be in your heart to love the Lord thy God
with all thy might has to be the words of God have to be in your heart in your mind you have to
They have to see these things come from out from within in within within yourself
So it starts with you, you know in thine heart and you know, this is something that's reiterated in Scripture
Colossians says let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs
Psalm 119 wherewith shall young men cleanse his way by taking heed according to thy word with my whole heart
Have I sought thee? Oh, let me not wander from thy commandments thy word
Have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee, you know
You can't go hide God's Word in somebody else's heart
You can't just you know twist your kids arm and get them to follow the Lord and they have to be inspired
They have to be moved
They have to see that it's real that it's genuine that and they have to see the why behind what we're doing
That there's there's a reason behind why we're have these standards we there's reasons why we believe what we believe and
They can make their own decisions as they grow older
But you know, we should be that good example to them and not a stumbling block
So really, you know leadership is something, you know, and specifically parenting, you know, which is you know
Leadership it needs to be directed from within by the Word of God
It's something that has to come from within and then come back go ahead and turn over to Deuteronomy chapter 17
You know you want to lead your house you want to lead your family you want to lead your kids to follow Lord
You know, I have to say it starts with you
And you know with any any form of leadership someone wants to lead a church
They want to you know, any in any form of leadership if you're trying to lead people to follow God
You know
It only makes sense that it has to be genuine with you that it has to be something that is
Real with you look there in Deuteronomy chapter 17 verse 18
And it shall be when it sees and this is talking about the king when they would set up a king in Israel it shall
Be when he sit at the pawn the throne of his kingdom
Then he shall write him a copy of this law in a book
Out of that which is before the priests and the Levites now, how would you like that?
You have to sit you want to copy the Bible you got to sit down and write it by yourself
You got to sit down a hand and write it, you know that maybe that would do some people some good
I don't know me that would probably make us not take the Word of God for granted
And we have so many Bibles just laying around, you know
We clean up the church it's up there in Phoenix and like we've got boxes of old used Bibles that people just leave behind
You know, it's like when you you know, are you missing this thing? It's been sitting here for months, you know
Maybe if they had to sit down actually pen those words out by hand
They would probably make that a little bit more precious to him. I know a guy he didn't write it by hand
But he actually he took he had he was into like fonts and making he was a graphic designer
So he designed his own font and he actually copied and pasted the Word of God into his own font and then and bounded in
A book he had his own handmade Bible that he printed, you know, and he that book that was precious to him
I mean that thing was dog-eared had all the the you know, the the dirt marks and we were always thumbing in it
You know, it had that one bend where from where the guy was always holding it. It was a real precious book to him
You know, it was the same words that are in every other Bible, you know
But his was he was invested in that and I remember the day he lost it
He came to me at church. He's like man. I lost my Bible. I was like, oh man my heart broke a little bit for him
You know, it's like I don't know what happened. I think I left it on top of the hood
I've done that, you know get in the car to go to church and leave the Bible on top
Look in the rearview to see you know fluttering off there
Pull it over so
You know, but the point being, you know, if you had to sit down and actually write up maybe, you know
we wouldn't take it for granted and maybe you know, no one in here is hopefully but
Hey, if that's a problem, maybe here's a solution sit down write it down, right?
but the point being you know
We should not take the Word of God for granted if we're gonna be the type of leadership if we're gonna be the example
That we need to be the next generation. It's got to be in our heart
You know, we got it. We got to love the Lord. We got to love his word
He says in verse 19 it shall be with him and he shall read therein all the days of his life
How are we gonna teach our children the words of God if we're not reading it every day?
How are we gonna teach the commandments and the statutes and the judgments, you know
All the deep things of God all the important doctrines about if we're not reading it
And we need to be reading therein all the days of his life that he may learn to fear
The Lord is God to keep all the words
of this law and his statutes to do them that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren that he turn out aside from
The commandment to the right hand or the or to the left, you know, it's gonna keep you in the way
You know, it's gonna keep you walking on the straightener. What's gonna keep you right with God is if you're in the book
You know, it says daily, you know reading all the days of my life
You don't want to depart to the right. You don't want to part to the left
You want to stay, you know, right with God you need to get in the word be reminded of who it is that you're dealing with
you know, you know the Lord and
reminded what he approves of and what he disapproves of
And you know the importance of teaching the next generation. It's not just gonna happen. You know, it's not just gonna happen on its own
We're gonna have to be you know, there's gonna be some intent behind it and some sincerity
Look there in a Deuteronomy where you were
You know, it's gonna take effort it's gonna take sincere effort
He says there in verse 7
And thou shalt teach them diligently under their children
Diligently, you know, that's that's you know saying hey, this is gonna take work. This is something you're gonna have to do
Put some effort behind it. It's not to be something to be diligent about not slack on you know, we get busy as parents
It's really easy to do that and just to say well, you know, they're in church three times a week
and you know, we're busy with all these other things and
You know and we forget to ask him. Have you written have you read your Bible today? Have you gotten to the Word of God?
Or, you know taking the time to teach some things out of the Word of God
That's something you have to be diligent to do. It's gonna take effort
You know, it's gonna take
consistency he says there and thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and
When thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up
I mean what part did he miss of your day right there? You know, it's when you when you sit in your house
When you're walking by the way when you're not in your house when you're when you're laying down and when you rise up
Morning noon and night God saying hey, you're gonna teach them these things. What's that? What's he trying to get across here?
You got to be consistent
You know, you got to be constantly you have to be you can see why it says diligently teach them these things, right?
You got to teach them diligently you have to be consistent
You know walking the walk not just talking the talk. I mean nothing I've seen it. Nothing will destroy
You know a young person like a hypocrite
You know that I've seen guys kids that growing up in good Christian homes. Just go completely off the rails
Because you know dad or mom were a hypocrite in Samaria now, does that make it right? No, it doesn't make it, right?
But is that the nature of things it is that's what happens, you know
So we don't want to be a hypocrite now warning to the children. Okay, your parents are sinners just like you
Okay, so, you know, it's a wicked heart that would just sit back and try to pick apart their parents
I try to find some you know, excuse
To quit on God or to get out of the Christian life. Oh, let's say it's all fake
It doesn't matter anyway, because your parent was you know, wasn't perfect in some area, you know
We're parents where we're flesh and blood. We're gonna mess up. We're gonna make mistakes, you know, see some of us are first-generation
Christians trying to figure this thing out as we go, you know, we didn't have a godly example for us
we're trying to do the best we can and
Either way whether we had that or not, you know, we're still just flesh and blood so kids, you know
They should should take heat to and not just sit back and be the type of person that's just gonna say
Well, you know my dad or my mom they were just wrong in this one
They had one little thing wrong or they did this wrong or they they offended me in some area or they were they were
Hypocrite in this area and now I'm just gonna quit on God
The whole thing's fake blah blah blah and they just go off and that's their excuse
That's a wicked heart that looks for that kind of thing. Now we as parents again
Consistency diligence we shouldn't we should make effort to not let that be the case
But can that type of thing happen? Of course it can
It's gonna take effort. It's gonna take consistency. It's gonna take keeping God's Word always before you
I mean, that's what he's saying here between nine eyes
You know, you see it throughout the day like he told the king you shall have it with him
Always it will always be with him, you know, we should make an effort to always have the Word of God with us
You know and again, we're living in a day where we have a multitude of Bibles
They come in all shapes and sizes. You can get the little New Testament slip them in your pocket
You could write them on three by five cards
Best thing you could probably do is memorize it and put it in your heart like we read earlier
Hide it in your heart and you'll always have the Word of God with you between nine eyes
Always meditating always thinking about the Word of God throughout the day
You have to you're gonna you know
Why are you doing that so that you can help teach these things to the next generation to be that godly example?
You know upon he says you shall write it upon the post of thy house and on thy gates, you know
It's gonna be hard to leave your house and not see it if it's on the post
You know we in and you know, if you try this by the way, here's a recommendation change the verse every so often
You know, we put one up on our door and it's been there so long
It's just like part of scenery, you know, you know after a while you forget it's even there, you know
It's good to kind of switch it out
Just maybe put a verse on your door that you look at
When you go reach for that that doorknob to walk let yourself out you see a Bible verse
So when you're walking out of your house, you're walking out of the gates of your house
You know, you're thinking on the Word of God on your way down the driveway on thy gates
You know when you're coming and going you're gonna be seeing the Word of God
You come back home, you know, you're you're gonna be thinking about the Word of God. It's always going to be before you
That's the important thing. So what's he saying here? Look if you're gonna teach the next generation these things
It's not gonna happen on its own. You're gonna have to be diligent. You're gonna have to be consistent
You're gonna have to have the Word of God dwelling in your heart
He's telling you this is how you're gonna get the Word of God in your heart by having it before your eyes on the gates
Of thy house and the post of thy house. It's it's just gonna be a part of your life
It's it's it's the fabric of your being you know, you are just a you know interwoven with the Word of God
And look there in verse 10
He says and it shall be
when the Lord thy God shall brought thee into the land which you swear to thy followers to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob to
Give thee goodly cities which thou buildest not and house is full of all good things
Which thou fillest not and wells dig which thou diggest not
Vineyards and olive trees which thou plantest not when thou shall have eaten and be eaten and be full
Then beware lest thou forget the Lord God of the Lord which brought thee forth out of land of Egypt
From the house of bondage. So remember they're going into a land that's already inhabited and it's not just a it's not a you know
Scorched earth policy. It's not slash-and-burn
It's it's remove the people and then we're gonna dwell in their houses. We're gonna we're gonna eat of their vineyards
God's giving them all these things, you know, they're they're gonna be sitting in somebody else's furniture
You know, it's it's like it makes me think of you know, Goldilocks except, you know, the three bears aren't coming home
You know, they get to try all the porridge
They're gonna get to sleep in all the beds and sleep in whatever chair suits them best
It's there there, you know, they're gonna get all these things and God's warning and saying look I'm giving you all these great things
and here's the danger you're gonna take them for granted and
you know, this is really and this is something Bible talks a lot about is the danger of
Prosperity and it keeps on there and turn over to Proverbs chapter 1 Proverbs chapter 1
When you get the Proverbs keep something there because we're gonna look a lot of verses
Because this is a this is a strong warning and you know
We that live in a prosperous country would do well to take heed to this
I mean, I know that we didn't end up here because God, you know brought us into this land and we we chased out the heathen
You know, it's there was probably some Providence and our forefathers coming here and things like that
So it's not that kind of a case but the fact is, you know, we in this generation, you know
We have what we have today because of the generations that went before us because of our forefathers because of the generations that you know
Carved out this country and gave us, you know
Our freedoms and our liberties and it's really easy for us in this generation to sit back and take that for granted
Because we have a lot of prosperity
You know and I could I mean do we really have to be convinced of our prosperity night?
I mean, do we really think we have it that bad here?
I mean everyone in here has probably got a computer in their pocket, you know what I mean?
It's it's crazy the country that we're living the things that we just take it for granted
You know, we get in our air-conditioned cars and we drive down here with a Bluetooth on listening to some story and you know
And then we go and we on the way we just stop and get delicious food. I mean chick-fil-a
Hello, that's that's that we're in prosperity my friend
Vanilla milkshakes just and whenever we want it, you know eg's is down the corner
We just we're there's food everywhere entertainment everywhere
Just we're spottos. Amen to that, you know Sonoran delights only if you live in Tucson though, right?
You can't get it. You can't get a raspado anywhere else besides this place. I've tried it man
I've been LA tried to get one. It doesn't work right? Not all raspados are created equal
You know, but hey, let's not take that's not take Sonoran delights for granted
You know, let's not get fat and sassy and think that you know, we can just do whatever we want now
Because here we are in the in the land that flow with raspados and eg's
You know, we got it. We got a guard our hearts seriously though, you know what I'm saying?
And that's what God's warning here the danger of prosperity living in a country where everything's just at your fingertips
Especially in this generation where it's just everywhere. We are so at ease in this country and
You know, I and I and and I was just thinking about last night
I was I was out soloing in a very well-to-do neighborhood, you know
Someone's back in their their boat into their two-car garage and every you know
And that's great. I'm not against people having nice things
But I tell you what it affects people's hearts and it makes them harden towards the things of God
They get comfortable. They think oh we don't need God, you know
This country could stand a good economic recession to shake some people out of their safe little worlds and remind them that you know
It's God that giveth the power to get wealth
You know that everything they have is given from God instead of just you know
Denying the Lord not wanting to hear the Bible hating on those that would preach it
You know because because why because they have everything they need and they know not that they are rich
Naked and miserable and wretched and poor and blind, you know, spiritually speaking
So you're there in Proverbs look at verse chapter 1 verse 32 Proverbs chapter 1 verse 32. He says
For the turning the way of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them
So it's prosperity and it's in and of itself an evil thing. No, I mean that God gave him all these good things
He said look, I'm gonna give you all these things but don't forget me
He says you can have all these nice things just don't forget who it is that gave them to you
And who is and who is it that gets destroyed the what is it that destroys these people?
They're prosperous. Yes. Is that what destroys it? No, it's because they're fools and what is the fool the fool?
I said in his heart there is no God
It's the fool that says hey, you know, I buy my own power have I gotten all this wealth, you know
We don't need God that's gonna destroy you that's gonna bring you into judgment and
We should you know, be careful about prosperity the danger of it, you know, we should be grateful for wealth
We should be grateful for the fact that we live in a country where you know, we have more than heart could wish
You know, we should we you know
We probably do well to go visit some third-world country where people are literally sleeping on dirt floors
You know where people are living in actual squalor where indoor plumbing is you know
You know you say all the Wi-Fi went out, you know
There's some people they can't even they have to walk miles to get water. There's you know, the a lot of the world lives like that
So, you know again not against prosperity I'm not teaching us that you know, we should just try to go and
You know all live like, you know some austere life
But just understand that God is the source of it and that's what he's saying here
Look, you're gonna come into all this land. You're gonna have houses. You're gonna have all of yards. You're gonna vineyards
You're gonna have more than you need and he's saying beware. Let's thou forget the Lord. That's the warning here
Look there Proverbs chapter 30 verse 7, you know, this should be our prayer in life
Proverbs chapter 30 verse 7 two things. I have I required of thee deny me them not before I die
Remove far from me vanity and lies giver me neither poverty nor riches
You know, that's a good prayer to pray right there. You know, I don't want to be poor, but I don't want to have riches either
He goes on and says
Feed me with food convenient for me, you know food that's appropriate food that you know, it is what I need
It's convenient for me lest I be full and deny thee
And see that's the danger prosperity, you know get you just get all
You know fat and sassy and get your toothpick out and who's the Lord anyway?
You know
That's what happens to people and nations
Lest I be full and deny they'd say who is the Lord or lest I be poor and steal and take the name of my God
In vain look, we don't want to have to live in poverty either where we're going around, you know committing sin
Having to start, you know breaking into cars and stealing and selling things and just to try and survive
We're just saying look we just we just want to we just want what we need to survive
You know and to and to raise a family, you know, how much more do we really need and you know, if you let the Lord
You know if you acknowledge him, you know, he's gonna give you contentment in life. That's what's gonna make you content
You know, everyone's always there. Everybody's chasing after this, you know, the next greatest thing
They all want the biggest and the best and the most of everything they can get their hands on
It's usually it's because they know that's people that don't even know God
They don't they don't they don't care about the things of God
But when we start to care about the things of God understand what really matters in this life, you know serving God
winning souls
Raising godly family, you know, then all these material things start to kind of you know, they vanish away
You know when I set our affections upon things above or neither rust no moth doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal
You know then what you know, our treasures aren't upon this earth
They're in heaven, you know true riches when we start to desire those things
You know that then we're gonna be satisfied with what God gives us here on earth
Well say hey, you know what? I've got enough
And it could oh, here's the thing if you ever find yourself becoming discontent
Just remember it could always be way worse than it is in this country. Oh, I'm so poor
You know this suit coats ten years old and it is
just kidding, it's 11, but
You know, but hey, it's still it still fits
but you know
It's a little shabby or in some areas, you know, but hey, I
Didn't hear it. I didn't get any dirty looks, you know, at least not for the the coat's sake, you know
I could say oh, where's my three-piece, you know, where's my new suit, you know, whatever it might be
Oh my cars at 13 years old, you know, it doesn't have a it doesn't have USB charger in it
You know, there's no GPS display
You know, everybody else has got a GPS display in their car
Whoo
Well, does it run does it go down the road? Does it get where you need to go? Well, praise God
You know keeps you safe get you there. So, you know, we shouldn't sit around and just and you know if we let God be
You know our true riches be in Christ, you know, then we're not going to desire all these other things
We're gonna be satisfied if we don't forget the Lord, you know and get caught up in just seeking more than we need
You know we shouldn't and if you would
Again keep something in Proverbs, but turn over to Psalm 73. I want to go there
Just be I know sake of time. We're kind of going along but 70 Psalm 73 is just one of these great Psalms
I remember reading this early on in my Christian life
This was just you know, something that's spoken to me over the years and it's just a great Psalm here
I want to read this with a together
He says there in Psalm 73 verse 1 truly a God is good to Israel even as such or as of a clean heart
But as for me my feet were almost gone my steps had well nice slip
Why verse 3 for I was envious at the foolish and again who were the foolish?
Those that say there is no God
The fool said it's hard. There is no God. He's envying these people that deny God the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked
You know, you start just lusting after the things of this world. That's gonna vex your righteous spirit. That's gonna vex you as a Christian
Especially if you sit start to set back and start comparing yourself with the wicked
Because let's face it the wicked have more than heart could wish don't they?
It says verse 4 for there is no bands in their death, but their strength is firm
They are not in trouble as other men neither. They plagued like other men
Therefore pride compassed them about as a chain violence covered them as a garment their eyes stand out with fatness
They have more than heart could wish I mean, it'd be really easy to sit back and just start to envy these people
They just have all the world's luxuries. They've got all the money. They got all the bling. They got all the great toys
You know, they're they're in need of nothing. They have more than heart could wish
What does it say in verse 8 they are corrupt they speak wickedly concerning oppression. They speak loftily
They set their mouth against the heavens and their tongue walketh through the earth
Therefore his people return hither and waters of a full cup are rung out to him and they say how doth God know and there?
Is not where and is there knowledge in the Most High?
Behold, these are the ungodly who prosper in the world. They increase in riches
You know who's real prosperous today, you know, who's increasing your riches today wicked people
that are doing the devil's bidding, you know, go look at the wealthiest people go look at the richest men and
Ask him about if they believe the Bible ask them what they think about the commandments and the judgments and the statutes of God
You know, I'm sure you might find one and you know, I'm not saying they're all I'm sure you can
Probably find one out there. Maybe that that you know loves the Lord and and you know uses his wealth
To further keep the King of God. I know that's out there but by and large for honest
You know people that are just all about money and making riches. They're wicked people
because it corrupts people and money corrupts people power corrupts people and
Prosperity if we're not careful, we don't guard against it. We don't forget that it comes from God. It'll even corrupt us
I mean, why is God warning his own people about this if that wasn't a possibility of being corrupted by prosperity?
Why does God have to even warn Israel about it?
Say, oh, hey, you're gonna come into all these nice houses and all these nice vineyards and everything like that
And don't worry about it. I know you won't forget me
It's I know you guys are gonna stay right with me all the way through and nothing. No, I don't have to talk to you
About it. No God says look
you're gonna inherit all these things things you didn't even have to hardly do any work for and
You know the dangerous beware lest thou forget the Lord thy God
That's the warning here. And really what we see if you would turn back to Proverbs chapter 16
Is that you know, if God lets us go a little lean in life, that's okay
If we don't have the best of everything and everything everybody else has
So what?
you know if we have the Lord, you know, we have all that we'll ever need and
They're really there is a kind of a virtue and a lack of abundance I'm not saying if you know we have to
You know give up all our nice things and walk around a burlap the rest of our lives
But you know, there is a virtue and and not having all these nice things
You know, he's you know a virtue and having a less, you know
It teaches us to appreciate what we do have. I mean the Bible says that I'll read to you from Proverbs 15
It says better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble wherewith
Isn't that the truth?
Anything about these people that that who win the lottery they get great treasure
You know what comes with that a lot of trouble a lot of people just start coming out of the woodwork
Just saying oh I heard you won the lottery
People get taken they get held for ransom people get killed
I mean that's like one of the worst things that could happen in life winning the lottery
Like oh, I just a million, you know, that's all I need
Just to take the edge off
You know, that's all I want
You know, well, you know, you'd be surprised what a million dollars could do to somebody
He says better is a dinner of herbs where love is
Than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. It'd be better to sit around and eat your kale and spinach
You know with someone that you love and someone that you know, isn't gonna do you dirty
Then to sit around and eat the t-bone and the the sirloin and and you know
The filet mignon and the pork roast and
All that good stuff right then with somebody that you know
Yeah, they're gonna be cutting their steak one minute and then stabbing you in the back the next
Look at their Proverbs 16, I mean better is a little there's a great there's a great sermon title right there
I mean better is a little with the fear of the Lord better is a little with righteousness
Than great revenues without right verse 16 how much better it is to get wisdom than gold and to get understanding
Rather to and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver verse 19 better
It is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud
That's saying look it's better to have less
Less is more with God kind of like we preach Sunday night less is more
You know, it's better to have little and have the Lord little and have you know
Those that love the Lord in your life than having this abundance this prosperity
Proverbs 19 says the desire of a man is his kindness and a poor man is better than a liar
you know what I we might only drive one car and we might only we might live in a two-bedroom apartment and
You know this jacket might be 11 years old, you know
I might not be some fat cat senator getting driven around a limousine, but I'm not a liar
You know, at least I still have a good name
At least I'm not corrupt, you know and speak lawfully of oppression
Better is a better as a poor man than a liar the fear of the Lord tend to the life and he that half it shall
abide
Satisfied you want to be satisfied in life learn to fear the Lord
Learn to fear God and be thankful for what you have and we're coming up on the Thanksgiving season, right?
So here's we're getting a little you know
The primer for the Thanksgiving sermon be thankful for what you have fear God and you'll be satisfied
You shall not be visited with evil
The Bible says in 1st Timothy 6 godliness with contentment is great gain
For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out
You know these guys that are just heaping up treasures themselves. It's all staying
And they're gonna get to the other side. They're gonna die and wake up and have nothing, you know
And if they're not saved they're gonna end up in hell
you know or what about the saved guy who just made his life all about money all about chasing riches and
Then he dies he carries nothing out and he gets to heaven and it's like that illustration
I had the other night. He gets to heaven all his works are burned up. All he's got is a pile of ash
He's got nothing for eternity. No riches. Yeah, he's saved
But is that really is that really all you want out of life to just be saved? I got my fire escape
You know, I'm good to go got my ticket punched
Or do you want to get to heaven to have something waiting there for you?
I mean, I want something waiting. I want to see what that mansion is gonna look like
Literal mansion I go to prepare a place for you and my father's house
There are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I
Mean it's a literal mansion up there. I mean it gives us the dimensions in the New Jerusalem
It's huge. It's filled with mansions. That's where I'm gonna live
You know, I want I want to get that mansion up there. I'd rather have the mansion up there
Then you know the mansion down here because I've been in some mansions down here and they're weak
They're lame there was no Jasper there was no pearl there was no gold there were no precious stones
It was just all the same stuff. Every other house is built out of
Stucco, you know wood drywall. It's just bigger and painted different. There's just more of it
You know
He can keep that mansion, you know, I don't care if it's backed up to some fairway or something like that
You know
I'll take the one in heaven
That's the great gain in life
So those living in a prosperous society, you know, we would do well to consider this chapter, you know
We have a lot of abundance today
we have a lot of ability to get wealth and there's nothing wrong with getting wealth if you do about the right way and
For the right reasons, you know if God prospers you and you do well in life and in and you're able to have you know
Some wealth great. Just don't forget the Lord in the process and the danger is that's what happens
So maybe if God keeps us lean if God maybe doesn't allow that to happen our lives instead of getting bitter and angry about it
And being the wicked we should actually thank God and say hey, at least he's keeping me on the right path
Let me see he's keeping me from turning into a terrible person
Because you know what despite the stern warning here in Deuteronomy and
And elsewhere, you know, God is warning this over and over again. That's exactly what happens to children of Israel, isn't it?
It's not long and they get in that land that flows with milk and honey
They get all those vineyards to get all those things that they didn't dig or build
There were somebody else's that they just walked into and it's not long before they're worshipping heathen gods
They forget the Lord God and God has to start chasing them and reminding them who it is
Go back to Deuteronomy there. Well, we'll pick it up back in verse 13
Deuteronomy verse 13 here it says
Excuse me
Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve him and shalt swear by his name
He shall not go after other gods for the for the god of the gods of the people which are round about you
For the Lord thy God is a jealous God and we talked about this earlier
In other chapters where God talks about the fact that God is jealous, you know, jealousy is not a bad thing
And God he says the Lord God he says my name is jealous. You know, that's got one of God's names. He's a jealous God
And he goes on lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee and destroy thee
God's not mad at you. You know, that's a false in this false this stupid philosophy that God's never angry
Well that God would never get upset with anybody
Well, the guy would never even get upset with a child of his, you know believer in Christ
That's exactly what happens the angler of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee
You know you go cheat you go wandering after these other gods you get caught up in this this false way
You'd say well that's you know, they're the ones that are promoting the false God will get angry with them
No, he gets angry with with you. He gets angry with Israel for doing it. I
Mean God is angry with the wicked every day
we know that but God will get mad at even at its own people if they if they they cast them off if they forget him and
Destroy thee from off the face of the earth, you know, God hasn't changed. God is still the same today
You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted him in Massa
You shall you shall diligently and it will always be Massa from now on by then
I don't care how anybody else says it after the Massa conference BAM Massa, right?
I know it's spelled a little differently, but it all comes out the same Massa
Make America straight again
He shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God and his testimonies and his statutes which he hath commanded
Again
Diligently keep them like this is something you have to make a point of in your life
You know just showing up to church three times a week or one time a week, whatever it is. That's great
I'm all for that that's gonna help but you know, this is something that you have to do on the daily
When thou risest up when thou liest and when thou liest down well now, you know
When you go out of your house when you walk by the way
When you come in when you go out, this is a daily thing that you have to do
That's why you have to do it diligently to keep his commandments
In verse 18 and thou shalt do that which is right and goodness sight Lord that God that it may be well with thee
Oh all the do's and don'ts
Well, it's for your own sake the rules are there for our benefit
That thou mayest go in and possess the good lamb which the Lord swear unto thy fathers
So really when you read this here in verse 18, that's a win-win scenario
That's a win-win scenario friend thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord
I mean, isn't it doesn't it just feel good to do right doesn't it?
Just feel good to do that which is good and right then I have to live your life doing this
Just always looking over your shoulder
Wondering if you're gonna get caught
Wonder if it's gonna catch up with you down the road
You know or if you're gonna have to pay the piper someday for you know what I mean?
It's something's gonna catch up on you
You're not gonna you know not losing sleep at night over something you did
You know, that's it feels good to just do that which is right in the sight of Lord thy God
To have a clear conscience and to be right with God that's a win
Mark that day up as a win
And the sight of the Lord and then it goes on and it's a win-win because he says if you do that
That it may be well with thee. God will bless you for doing the right thing
You know doing the right thing is its own reward, but then God just you know, he adds blessing on top of it
He looks down says hey, this guy's doing right? He's trying to live right? He's got integrity
He's trying to be a blessing. He's keeping the commandments the judgments and statutes
he's following the Lord thy God with all his heart and
He's you know that in and of itself, you know, it's for your own benefit
It's gonna help you and then God looks down and blesses it too. It's a win-win
The Bible says in 1st John 5 for this is the love of God that we keep his commandments. Oh
Loving God is so hard. You got to keep his commandments and goes on and says and his commandments are not grievous
His commandments are not grievous
You know his commandments make life good
They make life easier not harder
I mean, I know sometimes we have to take stands and we have to suffer persecution and things like that for the Word of God
But by and large just you know living by God's commandments and keeping his commandments. They just make life better
in and of themselves
You know
We're not gonna have the problems the world has that's what just dumb founds me sometimes about people who?
We just don't get it
They just mock the things of God then you look at their life and they're just have all I'm not saying the Christian life is perfect
But we don't have a lot of the problems the world has
We don't have a lot of the problems. They have if we're doing right if we're living by the Word of God
We don't have problems with
All the problems they have I mean we could go down the list
The drugs the alcohol the crime the violence. It just it goes on and on
And you know and again we could and I want to spend a lot of time on it
But this is just a quick point. His commandments are not grievous
Because they actually bless us
You know God's not out there just trying to rob you from a good time
You know saying oh, you can't do this. You can't do that like God's just you know trying to make sure you know
You just don't have any fun
Right. Is that what God's about? No God's trying to keep you out of a bad time out of a bad one
Because what a world calls a good time
Often adds ends very badly. There's a lot of repercussions that come with that. You know, you start out at the party
You know, whoo, the bottles are getting passed around everyone's having a good time
You know, God says you should even look at that stuff the alcohol
You know, everyone's getting drunk. It's a good time. It's a good time until somebody gets behind the wheel and
Then crashes into a tree
And you know, I had friend growing up in high school
And I went to his funeral when I was 18 and 19 years old and he was at a party having a good time
Quote-unquote and he got into a car and smashed into a tree or telephone pole
I can't remember which was and his car ignited and was a closed casket
Now do you think that's what they thought? Oh, that's that's a good time
You think that's what they were planning on happening?
But do we have that problem if we keep the commandments of Lord God we say hey
I'm not even gonna look at it. Let alone put a bottle to my lips. I'm gonna look at it
You know what? You just brought your chances of getting drunk behind a wheel to zero
By obeying the commandments and it's not God just trying to rob you have a good time
It's God trying to keep you safe
It's God trying to keep you from being you know, some preachers illustration years away from down the road
I remember this one guy, you know
So, you know don't his commandments are not grievous God's not just trying to rob you a good time
He's trying to keep you out of a bad situation
We'll go on here verse 19
He says to cast out all thine enemies from before thee as the Lord hath spoken and when thy son asketh thee in time
To come saying what mean the testimonies and the statutes and this judgments with the Lord's I got a command again
Bringing up the next generation. That's what this chapter is about teaching the next generation
He says verse 21 then thou shalt say unto thy son
We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt and the Lord brought us out of Egypt
With a mighty hand and the Lord showed signs and wonders great and sore upon Egypt upon Pharaoh and upon all his household before our eyes
And he brought us out from thence that he may bring us in to give us the land which he swore into our fathers
and the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes to fear the Lord our God and our good for our good always that he
might preserve us alive as it is this day and it shall be our righteousness if we observe to do all these commandments before the
Lord our God as he hath commanded us
So really when you look at this this last passage, I just want to point out a few things here
Is that you know, this is there are some elements in here of being a good witness or being a good testimony, right?
That's what he's saying here
He says look I want you to be a testimony to the next generation
I want you to be a good witness to them to tell them of the things that I've done for you so that they don't
Forget who I am now. What are some of these elements here look there in verse 21?
He says then thou shalt say unto the son. We were Pharaoh's bondmen
You know, it's it's good to always remember that God of God's deliverance, you know
Don't ever forget the fact that if you're saved what God saved you out of you know, hell, you know
The wages of sin is death
You know that right there is something to rejoice about and to be to remind the next generation
Look hell is real. You need to be delivered from sin
So not only does God deliver them, you know the God's deliverance
But look at verse 23 says and he brought us out from thence then he may bring us in
Why did God deliver them just so they could wander around in the in the land?
No, God wanted to immediately bring them into the promised land. God wanted to bless them
So that's the other part of it look, you know, God God delivered us
God saved us from our sins and now he's blessing us, you know
When we keep God's commandments and we do these things and God's blessings. This is all a good testimony
You know, our the next generation should be able to look at our lives and see that and say hey
There's a people that got saved and God's blessing them. It should be evident. These are the elements that are there and
You know another element that we can't forget about is obedience
Look at verse 24 and the Lord commanded us to do these statutes to fear the Lord
You know, we want to me that good testimony. We want to be a good make a good impression on the next generation
It's gonna require obedience the Word of God
so
Here's the thing, you know this this
This chapter should remind us that God cares not only for this generation, but the one that's gonna follow
God has his eye not only on on this generation, but the next one that's coming up behind it
He cares for both. I mean it's throughout this chapter it bookends it, right?
he says in verse 7 thou shalt teach them unto thy children and in verse 20 and
When thy son ask at thee in the time to come look he's bringing this up over and over again the importance of teaching the next
Generation and it's up to us this current generation that's at the helm
To teach the things which we have been commanded and not just teach them but live them do them not just talk them
but actually walk in it and do these things and you know the
It's just let me just close by saying that the best way is to live a consistent life
That gives glory to God for his blessings
You want to you want to make an impression on the next generation and help them?
To walk in the ways of the Lord and to keep his statutes. They don't just fade away
live a consistent life
Don't be a hypocrite and give God the glory for the blessings that he gives you. Let's go ahead pray